


Plutonium

by Trainer13



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Fan Games, Pokemon Uranium - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28678284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainer13/pseuds/Trainer13
Summary: Snippets of a journey through Tandor. Based on the fangame Pokemon Uranium.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

It’s a bright, clear morning in Moki Town, and you are about to start your Pokémon journey. You are filled with a quiet anticipation. Life here has been pleasant and cozy, but you are ready for something more. 

At your side are Theo, and your sister, Natalie. Cameron had wanted his son to wait a few more years before starting his journey, but Theo, impatient as ever, begged to start at the same time as you did. Natalie is three years older than you, and already working as Professor Bamb’o’s research assistant. If it weren’t for you, she would have already set out across the region. You told her not to worry about you, but she insisted on staying. 

Professor Bamb’o leads the three of you out of the lab into the fenced off land where the lab Pokémon are let out to roam, and where the starters you’ll be receiving are waiting. The starters come at the professor’s call, and line up in front of you. Raptorch waves its tail flame excitedly, Eletux studies all of you curiously, and Orchynx grooms its fur and pretends not to care. 

Professor Bamb’o begins a lecture on the starters. “Orchynx has a defensive battle style. Its typing has many resistances and few weaknesses, although you should watch out for fire. Orchynx tend to be patient and pretty mild, but they can turn ferocious when they evolve. Raptorch packs a ton of fire power but can’t take too many hits. Plus, they really hate water. Their style is to hit hard and hit fast. They’re energetic little guys. Eletux is the most balanced. They have calm personalities, and can adapt to any obstacles that come your way.”

Theo barely waits for the professor to finish. “I want Raptorch!”

But Raptorch shies away when Theo reaches for it, and instead goes to hug Natalie’s leg. 

“Sorry,” Natalie says. “It looks like this guy got attached to me while I was working here.”

“That’s not fair! You already have a Pokémon,” Theo says, and glares at the Birbie perched on her shoulder, who chirps musically back. 

“Raptorch’s made his pick,” Natalie says coolly. She has less tolerance for Theo than you do. 

Theo grumbles some more but chooses Eletux. You think it’s for the best that Theo doesn’t get the fire breathing starter. You hope Eletux is as calm as the professor says, and helps Theo settle down some. 

“That leaves Orchynx,” Bamb’o says. “Pluto, I hope you don’t mind?”

Orchynx has stopped grooming itself and is watching you uncertainly.

“How could I mind?” you say. 

Orchynx lets you scratch behind its ear and rubs its head against your hand. Possibly you have never been this happy. Orchynx is yours.


	2. Chapter 2

Theo, of course, demands a battle. Orchynx lands a Leech Seed on Theo’s Eletux and easily shakes off several Water Guns. Slowly but surely, Orchynx wears Eletux down, until the larger blue Pokémon collapses from exhaustion. 

You murmur some quiet words of praise to Orchynx. You are pleased by your victory in your first battle, but glance at Theo, who looks frustrated. He has never been a good loser. In the past, when you played together, you lost on purpose once in a while, but you don’t intend to do that again. Not with battling. 

“Well, that’s to be expected. Water is weak against grass, after all,” Natalie comments.

You think Natalie was trying to comfort Theo, in a roundabout way, but it has the opposite effect. You don’t miss the tears that well up in his eyes. He runs out of the lab. 

“That kid isn’t ready for this,” Natalie says.

You don’t agree with her, but you don’t disagree either. No good would come of holding Theo back. You can just imagine him sneaking out in the middle of the night, Pokémon or no Pokémon. In any case, you think, it’s Theo’s own choice.

Natalie comes with you to fetch Theo from his house. When you enter, Cameron is talking to his son in a low voice. You catch sight of Theo’s tear streaked face for only a second before he sees you and bolts up the stairs. A door slams loudly. 

Cameron rounds on you. “What did you do to my son!?” 

You flinch. Cameron has never spoken to you in that tone before. Natalie steps protectively in front of you. “Pluto didn’t do anything. They had a Pokémon battle. Theo lost. That’s all.”

Cameron deflates. “Oh . . . I see. I’m sorry.” 

You and Natalie wait as Cameron goes to speak to Theo in his room.

“He babies Theo too much,” Natalie complains. “That’s probably why Theo can’t handle anything not going his way.”

Cameron did seem overprotective. You’ve often seen him hovering behind Theo, but the two have a good relationship. Theo is always talking about Cameron. You wonder if that is what having a parent is like. You know better than to voice this thought out loud. It would only upset your sister. 

Theo is younger than you by three years. Truthfully, the only reason you are friends is because Cameron was apparently close to your parents, and comes around often to check on you and Natalie. Natalie never took to Theo, partly because of their age difference and partly because her no-nonsense attitude didn’t mesh well with Theo, and Theo was, though he would never admit it, a little intimidated by the older girl. But you often played with him, and though you sometimes found him irritating, you are still, after all, friends. You wish him all the best. 

Theo finally trudges out of his room with his father. Cameron gives the three of you Poképods. Gifts from your father. Huh. So he has been keeping track of you. Theo perks up a bit when he gets his. Natalie accepts hers grudgingly after eyeing it for a long moment. You take yours. No reason not to.

Theo keeps his head down and doesn’t look at either you or Natalie, so you walk in silence to the edge of Moki Town, where Professor Bamb’o instructed you to meet him.

Bamb’o demonstrates how to catch a wild Chyinmunk. Natalie cannot stop herself from interrupting. “Professor, we all know how to do this.” You nod.

Bamb’o scratches his neck sheepishly. “I know, I know. But we gotta follow procedure.”

As soon as Bamb’o hands you and Theo Pokédexes and some Pokéballs, Theo declares he will beat you one day, and takes off. You are glad he has his energy back.

The professor takes his leave, and now it is just you and your sister. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Natalie asks.

You look at her silently. You’ve had this conversation many times, long before. You even planned to challenge the gyms in different orders. You would head west to Nowtoch City, while Natalie would go east to Burole. You love your sister, and there would be some benefit in traveling together, but you want to travel alone, at least at first. You can’t articulate your exact reasons for this. You want to be alone, you want to be independent, you want to see who you are on your own. You want to see what you can make of yourself, by yourself. Well, not exactly. You have Orchynx. That’s enough.

Natalie gives in. “Alright, I get it. It’s times like these I think you’re too mature for your age.”

“I get it from you,” you say. 

You turn and take your first step onto Route 1. You feel Natalie’s eyes on your back, but yours are looking forward.


	3. Chapter 3

The Gym leader of Nowtoch City is Maria, Tandor’s former Champion. You watched the championship tournament on TV last year with Natalie and Theo. It was her first time entering, and she took the region by surprise when she blazed to victory as Tandor’s youngest Champion, at age seventeen. You heard she gave up the title a few months after the tournament, and took up a new post as Gym leader. You do not know what you were expecting when you met her, but it was not this.

Maria confronts the man lingering around her Gym, who finally leaves when she threatens him with calling the police. She watches him go with a dark look, muttering, “Seriously? My key, my goddamn house key.”

“Are you letting him go like that?” you ask.

“Nah, this is the last straw. I have some solid evidence this time, so he’s getting reported.”

You are, frankly, shocked that the Champion of all people has to deal with this. When you say as much, Maria snorts. 

“It’s because I became Champion that I have to deal with this. Yeah, it was nice being famous at first, but then there’s the media knocking at my door, the stalker fans. It’s settled down a bit, but it still grates on my nerves when everything I do gets magnified and picked apart just because I won a big tournament.”

The biggest tournament, you think. The dream of every trainer.

“But you have your Pokémon,” you say. “No one should bother you.”

Maria glances at you, surprised. “Well, it’s not like I’ve never daydreamed about siccing Feliger on someone before. But that’s like, illegal. And it won’t do any good for my image to be intimidating people with my Pokémon. The last thing I want is more attention.”

She shakes her head. “Okay, enough of this gloomy subject. You came for a badge, didn’t you? I’ll be waiting for you inside.” 

You defeat two Gym trainers and swiftly reach Maria. She waits as you apply Potions to Orchynx.

“Number of badges?” she asks.

“None,” you say. 

She nods, then eyes the single ball on your belt. “Only one Pokémon? I won’t be going easy on you, you know. League regulations say I can use up to three on beginners.”

“It’s fine,” you say. Orchynx steps onto the battlefield and growls a challenge.

Though Orchynx is outnumbered, and each battle costs her, you are satisfied to see she is stronger than each of Maria’s three. She’s grown a lot on the journey here. Thanks to her steel typing she takes little damage, and with Leech Seed and a Super Potion, Orchynx earns you the win.

“You didn’t use your real team,” you say to Maria when she hands you the badge.

She lifts her eyebrow. “Of course not. I can’t go around crushing newbies. If you wanted a serious battle with me, you should have come when you had more badges.”

You know this, and you feel a little embarrassed. But you still remember seeing her on television last year, the strength of her team and the thrill of the battles. You have never thought of it that way before, but perhaps you are also, in a way, her fan. One day, you’d like to face her on equal grounds.

You head to the Pokécenter to get Orchynx healed up. While waiting, you admire your newly obtained Normal badge. The metal glints, and you feel its weight in your palm. When the nurse gives Orchynx back, you show your partner the badge. She sniffs it and then purrs. You stick the badge in your case. It will look even better with the full set of eight.

As you leave Nowtoch City, you encounter Theo arriving. He seems upset to learn you’ve already won the badge, and challenges you to another battle. He’s added a Barewl to his team and his Eletux has gotten stronger, but Orchynx defeats both of them.

Theo has that same look of frustration and barely held back tears he had at the first battle. You think of telling him he’s gotten stronger, or that he’ll do well at the Gym, but you hold back, unsure if your words will help or make him feel worse. As you hesitate, Theo pushes past you, and you lose the chance to say anything.


End file.
